Cotton-seed conveyer



(No Model) H.,W,GRABER. COTTON SEED GONVEYER.

No. 603,185. PatentedApr. 26, 1898.

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' UNITED STATE PATENT @FFIQE.

HENRY w; GRABER, on DALLAS, TEXAS.

COTTON-SEED CONVEYER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 603,185, dated April 26, 1898.

Application filed August 19, 1897. Serial No. 648,813. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY W. GRABER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Dallas, in the county of Dallas and State of Texas, have invented new and useful Improvements in Ootton-Seed-Oonveyer Systems, of which the following is a specification.

It is the object of this invention to improve the cotton-seed-conveyer system described and claimed in Letters Patent No. 584,634, granted to me J (me 15, 1897, wherein provision was made for the removal of cotton-seed fromgins or linters by the exclusive and unimpeded action of an air-blast through the exhaust-flue of the fan that is ordinarily employed in connection with the usual elevator for conducting cotton into the gin-feeders.

Prior to the invention described in my said former patent it had been proposed to remove cotton-seed from a gin plant by means of an air-blast mechanism designed to blow the seed through a horizontal flue having its top connected with seed-chutes leading from the gins, and in order to prevent the air-blast from passing up into the chutes it has been customary to provide gates or valves attached to the top' of the flue by hinges or otherwise,

so that when in operation the valves will be raised by the blast of air toan angle sufficient to prevent the air-current from entering a seed-chute. This plan has been shown to be very objectionable in practice, because it 0bstructs a free and full operation of the airblast, and as it is practicable to only partially raise these gates or valves in order that room may be afforded for the seed to pass over them into the fluethey unavoidably cause an ob-- struction to the free flow of air through the flue, besides greatly diminishing the crosssectional area of the exhaust-flue, which proportionately diminishes the capacity of the fan in supplying the seed-cotton to thegins, thereby deranging the entire-working of the gin plant and interfering with the high perfection now required in the handling of seedcotton and removal of cotton-seed.

By the invention embraced in my said former patent there was provided a valveless seed-conveying flue or pipe having its top arched or curved longitudinally at suitable intervals, and each curve or arch was located immediately in rear of the point of connection between a seed-chute and the said seed- ,conveyer flue in such manner as to divert the air-current away from the outlet of the seedchute, and thus cause a suction in said chute to draw the cotton-seed forcibly into the seedconveyer flue.

My present invention is designed to improve the valveless and longitudinally-arched seed-conveyer flue to more effectually obviate obstruction and back pressure, and thereby greatly facilitate removal of cotton-seed from the seed hoppers and chutes and incidentally increase the economy, capacity, and efficiency of the gin plant. To these ends and for the purpose of avoiding various difficulties incident to a'thorough removal of, cotton-seed from gins or linters by means usually employed my invention consists in features of construction and novel vcombinations of parts in an apparatus for removing cotton-seed from gins or linters, as hereinafter more particularly described and claimed. In the annexed drawings,Figure 1 is a partlysectional elevation illustrating my invention as applied to a battery of gins or linters.

Figs. 2 and 3 illustrate modifications of the.

seed-conveyer blast-flue in longitudinal section.

. In the drawings the reference-numeral 1 designates a cotton gin or linter.

from a wagon, as maybe most convenient.

This elevator-flue 6 may communicate with i the gins 1 through ducts 7 and feeders 8, as usual.

The gin, the fan, and the elevator-flue may be of any suitable or ordinary construction and need not be particularly described, as they form, of course, no part of my invention, except in combination with the improved construction of valveless and longitudinallyarched seed-conveyer flue, through which removal of cotton-seed from the gins or linters and seed-hoppers is thoroughly effected by the exclusive and unobstructed action of the fan-exhaust and with no back pressure at the fan or in the exhaust-flue or seed-chutes.

The seed-conveyer flue 4 is extended parallel with and below the ginstand, preferably under the floor 9, which will then be provided with openings for passage of the seedchutes. One end of this conveyer-flue 4 is connected with the exhaust of the seed-cotton elevator-fan 5 or any other suitable fan or blower, and the other end of said flue is to be extended to the place of delivery for the cotton-seed.

In the construction of seed-conveyor flue described in mysaid former patent, No. 584,634, the means employed for diverting the airblast or current downward and away from or beyond the seed-chute outlet consists in arching or curving the top of the air-blast flue 4 longitudinally at suitable intervals, each arch or curve 10 being located immediately in rear of the point of connection between a seedchute 3 and the blast-flue. The longitudinally-arranged curve or arch 10 directs the air-current downward at the point or farther extremity 11 of each arch and diverts it away from the chute-outlet or flue-opening and beyond the point 13 at the forward side of the chute-outlet. By thus diverting the aincurrent away from the outlet of the seed-chute 3 a downward suction is produced in said chute in such manner as to draw the cottonseed forcibly into the air-blast, and by reason of the seed-chute being preferably so inclined as to discharge the seed in the direction that the air-blast is moving it is obvious that the seed will be freely propelled through the flue 4 without any possibility of clogging.

Now in order to prevent any tendency whatever to a back pressure in the seed-chutes 3 or convcyer-flue 4 or at the fan-exhaust my present invention provides in the bottom of the seed-conveyor flue 4 an inverted longitudinally-arranged arch 13,01- a series of such inverted arches, one below and extended in advance of each seed-chute. By means of the longitudinally-arranged inverted arch or arches 13, Figs. 1 and 2, provision is made for sufficient expansion of a strong air-current to prevent exertion of its force upward into the seed chute or chutes 3 against the descending stream or streams of cotton-seed and without obstructing their passage into the seed-conveyer flue. The ends of the inverted arch 13 merge gradually into the main bottom of the seed-conveyer flue 4, and consequently present no shoulders or obstructions to arrest the passage of seed through the flue or to induce accumulations of seeds at any point, while the force of the air-current through the flue will be always amply suflicient to carry the seed along at a good speed.

For the purpose of greatly assisting the upper longitudinal arch or arches 10 to divert the air-current away from and beyond the seed chute or chutes 3 it is preferable to provide a corresponding longitudinal arch 14, Figs. 1 and 3, in the bottom of the conveyorflue 4, beneath each upper arch or curve 10 and conforming therewith. These corresponding longitudinal arches 10 and 14 in the top and bottom of the fine 4, respectively, not only insure diverting the aircurrent away from and beyond the outlet of each seed-chute, but effectually prevent any accu- 1n ulation of seed in the inverted arch or arches 13, a result to which the forward inclination of the seed-chutes 3 will also somewhat contribute.

ln certain conditions sometimes attending the ginning of seed-cotton and removal of the cotton-seed by the exhaust-blast of a fan employed for elevating the cotton to the ginfeeders it is very important to obviate every tendency to even the least back pressure at the fan or in the seed-chutes. I have found by actual test that this desirable result is readily and perfectly accomplished by the provision of an inverted arch or arches 13, arranged longitudinally in the bottom of the seed-conveyer flue, as described, each inverted arch being located beneath and extended somewhat in advance of each seedchute, so as to also assistindivertingthe aircurrent away from the chute-outlet.

The inverted arch 13 may be employed in conjunction with the arches 10 and 14, as shown in Fig. 1, or the arch 14 may be omitted, as shown in Fig. 2, and only the upper arch 10 and inverted arch 13 be employed together. \Vhere there is but little liability to back pressure, as under some conditions of gin working, the inverted arch 13 may be dispensed with, as shown in Fig. 3, only the arches 10 and 14 being then provided to divert the air-current away from and beyond the seed-chute outlet. \Vith employment of the inverted arch 13 there is more ability to resist a tendency to back pressure; but this may not be required under all conditions attending removal of cotton-seed from the seed hoppers and chutes.

The seed-hopper 2 is made with a long opening at the top corresponding in length with the width of the gin-breast and located just below the usual seed-board, so that the seed discharged by the gin will fall into the opening at the top of the hopper and pass thence to the chute 3, which preferably diverges from the bottom of the hopper at an inclination as great as possible and in the direction of the air-blast from the exhaust of the fan, the seedchute being connected with the conveyer-flue 4 at such an angle and in such direction of inclination as to assist the longitudinal arches of the line in preventing the air-current from turning up into said chute. lVhile the seedchute 3 is thus inclined, it retains, however, sufficient fall to allow the cotton-seed to slide freely down to the flue 4 by gravity.

Although the location of the seed-conveyer flue or pipe 4 beneath the floor 9, as shown, is generally most convenient, it will be obconnection with a proper operation of the viousthat it can be placed above the floor, if

desired. The seed-hopper 2, chute or chutes 3, and conveyer pipe or flue 4 may be made of Wood, sheet-iron, or any suitable material,.

several seed-chutes 3, and thereby obstructing the free discharge of the cotton-seed, and this result should be accomplished without the employment of valves or gates in the flue 4, which would obstruct the flue and seriously impair the suction efliciency of the fan 5 in seed-cotton elevator.

By the improvements that I have provided in the arching of the seed-conveyer flue or pipe 4, both at top and bottom, as described,

I the cotton-seed will be passed into and through the said flue without any obstruction or back pressure and so as to incur no interference with the properworking of the fan-suction in operatingthe cotton-elevatingmechanism.

' These improvements may be readily utilized in connection with a single gin or linter or with a battery of gins or linters, as may be desired, the operation being the same in either case.

What I claim as my invention is- 1. In a cotton-seed-conveyer system, the combination with a gin or linter, a fan, a seedhopper to receive the separated seed from the gin, and a seed-chute leading from said hopper, of a horizontally-arranged seed-conveyer flue connected with the fan and with the seed-chute and having its bottom longitudinally arched adjacent to the seed-chute, the

cross-sectional area of said flue being nowhere less than that of the discharge-opening from the fan, substantiallyas described.

2. In a. cotton-seed-conveyer' system, the combination with a gin or linter, afan, a seedhopper to receive the separated seed from the gin, and a seed-chute leading from said hopper, of a seed-conveyer flue connected with the fanand with the seed-chute, the said flue having its top longitudinally arched imme diately in rear of the point where it connects with the seed-chute and provided in the bottom with an inverted arch arranged beneath the seed-chute outlet and extended longitudinally in advance of the same, substantially as described.

8. In a cotton-seed-conveyer system, the combination with a gin or linter, a fan, a seedhopper to receive the separated seed from the gin, and a seed-chute leading from said hopper, of a seed-conveyer flue connected with the fan and with the seed-chute, the said flue having both its top and bottom correspondingly arched in a longitudinal direction immediately in rear of the point where the flue connects with the seed-chute and provided in the bottom with an inverted arch arranged beneath and extended longitudinally in advance of the seed-chute outlet, substantially as described.

4:. In a cotton-seed-conveyer system, the,

combination with a gin or linter, a fan, a seedhopper to receive the separated seed from the gin, and a forwardly-inclined seed-chute leading from said hopper, of a seed-conveyer flue connected with'the fan and with the seedchute outlet, the said flue being longitudinally arched immediately in rear of the point where it connects with the seed-chute and having its bottom provided with an inverted arch "beneath and in advance of the seedchute outlet, substantially as described.

- 5. In a cotton-seed-conveyer system, the combination with a gin or linter, a fan, a seedhopper to receive the separated seed from the gin, and a seed-chute leading from said hopper, of a seed-conveyer flue connected with the fan and with the seed-chute outlet and provided in its bottom with an inverted arch arranged longitudinally beneath and in advance of the seed-chute outlet, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HENRY w. GRABER.

Witnesses:

J NO. D. HARVEY, J. H. MODONOUGH. 

